d I stand upon any further ceremony with this dog?
Did he not secretly connive with Narvaez, and now refuses us
provisions?"

"Our opinion is," returned the other officers, "that he does nothing
more than his present situation would prompt him to do, and that he acts
most prudently."

Cortes, however, relied upon the strength of his troops, and would not
allow his anger to be pacified in any way, but commissioned the two
Mexican grandees to tell their master that he must issue immediate
orders for the re-opening of the markets, otherwise he should find
himself obliged to take other steps. Both these Mexicans had understood
the reviling language used by Cortes against their monarch, and also how
our other officers had remonstrated with him on that account. They knew
these officers well; for they had by turns been captains of the guard
which was placed over their monarch's person, and knew they were greatly
attached to him. They therefore repaired, either in the bitterness of
their hearts, or because the attack upon us had already been determined
upon, and related to Motecusuma what they had heard; and scarcely a
quarter of an hour had elapsed before one of our men came running up
heavily wounded. He had been at Tlacupa, a town near Mexico, to fetch
thence some women belonging to Cortes' household, and the daughter of
Motecusuma, whom Cortes had given in charge of the king of Tlacupa, her
relative, when we marched against Narvaez. This man also related that he
had found the town of Tlacupa and the high road filled with warriors.
They took the women away and wounded him in two different places. If he
had not escaped out of their hands, they would have thrown him into a
canoe, and have sacrificed him to their gods. They had also destroyed
one of the bridges over the causeway.

When Cortes and some of us soldiers heard this, we began to look very
serious, for those among us who had been several times engaged with the
Indians knew, from experience, with what vast crowds they always entered
the field of battle, and, although our numbers had been greatly
augmented, and that there was little doubt but we should defend
ourselves courageously, yet we were well aware of our dangerous
position. We soldiers also knew that we should run great risk of losing
our lives either from hunger or from the advantages which the enemy
would have over us in such a strongly fortified city. Cortes, after
questioning the man who had come from Tla